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What Vitamins Are Good For Colon Cancer

What Cancers Are Associated Clinked To Vitamin D Deficiency

Can Vitamins or Supplements Prevent Colon Cancer?

There has also been a widely accepted link between excessive vitamin D intake and breast cancer risk. Colorectal cancer has also been linked to low vitamin D intake. Several types of cancer patients, including multiple myeloma, as well as those with prostate cancer, ovarian cancer, or acute myeloid leukemia, have also reported inadequate vitamin D levels.

Vitamin D May Reduce Colorectal Cancer Risk

Past research has shown a link between a healthy vitamin D status and a reduced risk of colorectal cancer . However, data on younger populations is lacking. Additionally, a large amount of the available data highlights the positive relationship between a sufficient vitamin D status, and not necessarily the dietary intake of the nutrient.

Using data from over 90,000 women subjects enrolled in the Nurses Health Study II, researchers at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and other institutions analyzed the diets, lifestyles, and medical histories of female nurses aged 25 to 42 years old.

The researchers evaluated whether there was an association between total vitamin D intake and risks of early-onset CRC and precursors.

Vitamin D For Colon Health

Several studies have shown that people who have higher levels of serum vitamin D have lower rates of colorectal cancer.

Vitamin D is a fat soluble vitamin that aids in the absorption of nutrients, promotes immune function, and maintains cell communication throughout the body. While vitamin D can be obtained from certain foods, it is also produced naturally when the body is exposed to sunlight.

Vitamin D was first identified as a potential preventive agent for colorectal cancer over twenty years ago. Researchers observed that individuals in the northern and northeastern United States had significantly higher mortality rates from colorectal cancer than those who lived in Hawaii, Florida and southwestern states. These figures were directly correlated with individuals serum vitamin D levels.

A more recent meta-analysis, which included data from five observational studies, found that increasing serum vitamin D levels to 34 ng/ml could reduce colorectal cancer incidence rates by half. Increasing serum vitamin D levels even higher produced greater colorectal cancer preventive benefits. Lead researcher Edward Gorham, Ph.D. explained, We project a two-thirds reduction in incidence with serum levels of 46 ng/ml, which corresponds to a daily intake of 2,000 IU of vitamin D3. This would be best achieved with a combination of diet, supplements and 10 to 15 minutes per day in the sun .

  • Fatty fish such as salmon, tuna, mackerel, and sardines
  • Beef liver

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Coping With Treatment Side Effects When You Have Cancer

People with cancer often turn to vitamins and supplements to reduce the side effects of cancer treatment: Nausea from chemotherapy, nerve pain, or debilitating fatigue.

Keep in mind, there are hundreds of chemotherapy drugs. The vitamins and supplements that may help you will depend on your specific treatment.

To optimize your health and reduce the risk of dangerous interactions, dont take supplements for side effects without talking with your cancer treatment team. Your cancer doctors can help you develop a comprehensive treatment.

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Nutrients To Include In Your Colon Cancer Diet

Can Vitamin D Prevent Colon Cancer?

Electrolytes, like potassium, magnesium, sodium and calcium, are essential minerals that help your body maintain the appropriate balance of fluids. Good sources of electrolytes are green leafy vegetables like lettuce and kale fruits like watermelon, bananas and avocados and potatoes, beans, almonds and peanuts. Its important for colon cancer patients to monitor their intake because colon cancer and its treatment may interfere with electrolyte absorption. Losing fluids from diarrhea, vomiting or sweating may also contribute to electrolyte imbalance.

Proteins help the immune system fight infection and help the body repair tissues after surgery, chemotherapy or radiation. The exact amount needed differs from patient to patient. We typically recommend .04-.05 ounces of protein per 2.2 pounds of body weight every day for a healthy person who’s not very active.

The source of protein is just as important as the amount. Avoid red meat and processed meats like hot dogs. Choose lean proteins like eggs, fish and poultry instead. Good plant-based sources of protein are lentils, nuts and legumes.

Roughage, or fiber, is the fibrous, indigestible material part of plant-based foods that aid the passage of food through the intestines. Whole-grain flour, brown rice, fruit, vegetables, nuts, seeds and legumes like lentils and black beans are all good sources of dietary fiber.

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What To Eat During Colon Cancer Treatment

The majority of colon cancer patients undergo surgery, followed by four to six months of chemotherapy. Those with stage 4 colon cancer may be treated with chemotherapy only, and those with rectal cancer may undergo chemotherapy and radiation therapy followed by surgery. Each of these treatment types may present different nutritional challenges.

While most patients should strive to follow the general recommendations for good nutrition, there are times when its difficult or not recommended. Side effects like nausea, diarrhea or loss of appetite are common in certain stages of treatment and may require dietary modifications. Your general health also affects your specific needs.

Colon Cancer: First The Foods That Raise Your Risk

Colon cancer is one of the most common types of cancer in the United States with over 101,000 new cases expected to be diagnosed this year, according to the National Cancer Institute. In many cases, the cause is unclear, though potential risk factors include weight gain, a sedentary lifestyle, and a poor diet. If you eat a lot of red and processed meat or down more than two alcoholic drinks a day, youre raising your risk, warns Cleveland Clinic dietitian Anna Taylor, MS, RD. Those are just two of the things that increase your risk of colon cancer.

When it comes to meat, the problem stems not just from the meat itself but from the ways in which it is processed and cooked. In the case of processed meats, sodium nitrites combine with natural amines during cooking to form mutagenic, cancer-causing N-nitroso compounds. Polyps can grow on the inner lining of the colon and some can turn into cancer if the cells start to grow abnormally out of control, said Leigh Tracy, RD, LDN, CDE, a dietitian at Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore. But eat the right foods, and you can actually lower your risk, she says. These are the foods that offer you the most protection.

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Supplements For Cancer: Garlic

Many studies have found that people who eat a lot of garlic are less likely to develop certain common cancers.

That garlic research has led scientists to wonder whether garlic may have cancer-treating properties as well as cancer-prevention capabilities. Although studies are not yet conclusive, there is some evidence that garlic may be useful for cancer in conjunction with medical treatments.

For starters, garlic may be beneficial for cancer patients owing to its immune-boosting abilities, which vary depending on how the garlic has been processed. Additionally, certain substances found in garlic have been shown to suppress growth and fight certain cancerous cells in the lab, including forms of breast and lung cancer.

Early studies have shown that eating garlic can decrease the risk of colorectal cancer and stomach cancer. The same benefit was not found with garlic supplements. However, preliminary prostate cancer research on men in China has shown that both eating garlic and garlic supplements may decrease the risk of prostate cancer.

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What Is A Quicker You Can To Your Vitamin D Levels Drop

Can Vitamin D help prevent colon cancer?

With the help of the distillation process we can regain our focus. Calculating how long it takes a vitamin D molecule to leave its body is complex. It has been demonstrated that calcidiol a highly specialized marker for dietary vitamin D is the best way for your body to determine how many mg of blood vitamin D it needs in a specific 15 minute period.

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Consider A Multivitamin With Folate

A daily multivitamin is a good nutrition insurance policy that can also help protect against colon cancer. In addition to calcium and vitamin D, multivitamins contain folate, which has been shownin numerous studies to lower the risk of colon cancer. Avoid mega-dose vitamins. A standard multivitamin is all you need.

Vitamins To Avoid Colon Cancer

We at Las Vegas Gastroenterology make it our business to offer the best care in preventative diagnostics and cutting edge technologies to diagnose colon cancer. Above all, we want to educate you, the patient, who we have vested interest in, about how to avoid colon cancer. There are many things you can do to prevent colon cancer among which are diet, exercise, and avoiding red meats and fatty meats, and taking vitamin D.

From The Susan Cohan Colon Cancer Foundation comes these real life ways you can prevent con cancer:

Vitamins & Supplements: Using vitamins to prevent cancer is called chemoprevention. Antioxidants have been studied for their effects in cancer prevention and risk reduction. They may defend against cell damage caused by unstable molecules, known as free radicals. Beta-carotene, lycopene, vitamins C, E, and A, and other substances are antioxidants, and are found in tea, red wine, and chokeberries or Anthocyanin-rich extract.

Aspirin has been linked to some studies in cancer prevention. This is because aspirin can block the enzyme cyclooxygenase2 , which is produced by many tumors. A Recent study by the University of Oxford found that 75 mg. of aspirin taken daily for five years lowered the risk of colorectal cancer by 24 per cent and the risk of dying from colon cancer by 35 per cent. There are side effects associated with an aspirin plan.

We have two of the best GI Doctors in Las Vegas on our staff:

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Vitamin C And Vitamin E Supplement Use And Colorectal Cancer Mortality In A Large American Cancer Society Cohort

To whom requests for reprints should be addressed, at Department of Epidemiology and Surveillance Research,American Cancer Society, National Home Office, 1599 Clifton Road NE,Atlanta, GA 30329-4251.

  • Version of Record January 1 2001
  • Eric J. Jacobs, Cari J. Connell, Alpa V. Patel, Ann Chao, Carmen Rodriguez, Jennifer Seymour, Marjorie L. McCullough, Eugenia E. Calle, Michael J. Thun Vitamin C and Vitamin E Supplement Use and Colorectal Cancer Mortality in a Large American Cancer Society Cohort. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 1 January 2001 10 : 1723.

    Vitamins And Supplements For Cancer Patients

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    Here are tips on supplements after youve been diagnosed with cancer.

    If youre among the 1.5 million people in the United States diagnosed with cancer each year, you may be considering taking vitamins and supplements for cancer. Supplements, herbs, and extracts are increasingly used in integrative medicine to:

  • Help strengthen the immune system
  • Help ease side effects of chemotherapy and radiation.
  • What should you know about vitamins and supplements for cancer patients?

    First, many supplements may interfere with your cancer treatment, so never take anything without discussing it with your cancer doctor and treatment team. Your cancer treatment center or hospital may have an integrative medicine division. Thats a good place to start if you want to know what herbs, teas, or nutritional supplements can help you stay strong and cope with treatment side effects.

    Second, research or ask your treatment team about the best supplements for your specific situation. Most supplements have not been studied extensively in large clinical trials. Its important to choose wisely, and be informed.

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    How Is It Possible For Vitamin D To Suddenly Inky Drop In Vitamin D Levels

    vitamin d? What causes d a vitamin D deficiency? Insufficient sunlight exposure, inadequate skin skin production, lack of vitamin D on diet, and health conditions such as diabetes, gastrointestinal disorders, and kidney disease are some of the factors contributing to low dietary levels of this substance.

    Diet During Radiation For Colorectal Cancer

    Radiation therapy is used in patients with rectal cancer. This therapy tends to cause its own unique side effects, which may include irritation of the rectum and diarrhea. We generally recommend that these patients follow a low-roughage diet to reduce irritation. Patients who arent experiencing adverse effects can usually follow a regular diet soon after treatment.

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    Vitamin D May Help Fight Colorectal Cancer

    A new study concludes that high doses of vitamin D may help hinder the growth of advanced colorectal cancer in combination with chemotherapy.

    A clinical trial called SUNSHINE has found that large doses of vitamin D could significantly slow down the progression of metastatic colorectal cancer.

    Dr. Kimmie Ng, director of clinical research at Dana-Farbers Gastrointestinal Cancer Treatment Center in Boston, MA, says that the results of the trial are promising and could lead to new treatment possibilities in the future.

    In the SUNSHINE trial, the results of which featured in the journal JAMA , the researchers recruited 139 people with previously untreated metastatic colorectal cancer and split them into two groups high-dose vitamin D and low-dose vitamin D.

    The high-dose group took 8,000 international units of vitamin D each day for 14 days, before switching to 4,000 IU a day. The low-dose group took 400 IU each day for the entire duration of the study. Both groups also received standard chemotherapy during the trial.

    The researchers observed that disease progression in the participants in the high-dose group stopped for an average of about 13 months, while those in the low-dose group experienced a delay in progression of close to 11 months.

    Also, they discovered that the participants in the high-dose group were less likely to experience disease progression or death during a 22.9-month follow-up period.

    Vitamin D Levels In Patients With Leukemia Can Fluctuate

    Vitamin D & Colon Cancer

    It was reported that vitamin D deficiency could play an inverse role in a childs chances for life after acute leukemia deficiency was more common for children than they might think. In the study, JH Simmons and colleagues examined 78 patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia who had participated in 52 chemotheic treatments and 26 hematopoeitic stem cell treatments.

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    Study Cohort And Follow

    Men and women in this analysis were participants in the CPS-II Nutrition Cohort , a prospective study of cancer incidence in approximately 184,000 US adults . The Nutrition Cohort, established in 1992, is a subgroup of the approximately 1.2 million participants in the CPS-II cohort, a prospective study of cancer mortality established in 1982 . The CPS-II cohort was recruited by American Cancer Society volunteers in all 50 US states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico and included men and women aged 30 or more years at enrollment in 1982. Nutrition Cohort participants were recruited from CPS-II cohort participants who resided in 21 states with population-based state cancer registries. The recruitment and characteristics of Nutrition Cohort participants are described in detail elsewhere . All aspects of the CPS-II Nutrition Cohort study are approved by the Emory University Institutional Review Board.

    In 1997, a follow-up questionnaire was sent to all Nutrition Cohort members to update information and to ascertain newly diagnosed cancers. Information on use of sigmoidoscopy and colonoscopy was collected for the first time on this questionnaire. Among living Nutrition Cohort participants, the response rate for the 1997 follow-up questionnaire was approximately 91 percent .

    Maintaining A Healthy Weight During Colon Cancer Treatment

    Maintaining a healthy weight through proper nutrition during cancer treatment is a challenge for many patients, but the benefits are numerous. It may boost your immune system and help provide the energy you need to stay active. Even small amounts of weight loss may increase your risk of experiencing treatment-related side effects. And extreme weight loss during treatment may result in hospitalization or the need to pause or delay your treatment.

    On the other hand, obesity may negatively impact treatment and increases the risk of death in some cancer patients. Obese patients are also at a higher risk of colorectal cancer recurrence compared with patients who are at a healthy weight.

    Your doctor or a registered dietitian can calculate your daily recommended calorie requirements, but generally, we advise 25-30 calories per 2.2 pounds of body weight per day, with no more than 25 percent of calories coming from fats.

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    Diet Before And After Colon Cancer Surgery

    Protocols for diet before and after colon cancer surgery have changed over the years. Previously, patients fasted for 12 hours before surgery, and food was withheld for a period of time afterwards.

    At CTCA®, we follow the ERAS treatment program protocols, which have been shown to reduce surgery complication rates and shorten post-surgery hospital stays

    Part of the ERAS protocol involves ensuring that patients are as well nourished as possible before their surgery. Studies have shown that patients who are well-nourished before surgery tend to have better outcomes, including reduced hospital stays and fewer complications, than those who are malnourished. In severely malnourished patients who cant get adequate nutrients by mouth, intravenous nutrition for a few weeks before surgery may improve their outcomes.

    About a week before surgery, we put our patients on a drink thats high in omega-3 fatty acids and micronutrients to reduce the chances of complications. Immediately before surgery, we give patients a carbohydrate drink to help stabilize their blood sugar levels during the procedure.

    Our patients generally start taking clear liquids within 24 hours after surgery and then advance to solid foods within two to three days. We try to avoid too much roughage initially, but within a week, most of our surgical patients can return to a normal, healthy diet.

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